Executive summary A stack of timber boards needs two things before it ships: a cover that keeps rain and dust off, and straps that hold the stack together. Our timber packing line does both in one pass along a roller conveyor. It covers the stack with film, wraps it in a red orbital ring while the stack stays still, presses it with an overhead beam and straps it. Ring size, conveyor and strap positions are configured per project to your board sizes.
Table of Contents
- What the video shows
- The line, station by station
- Why wrap and then strap
- Film per bundle
- What we size per project
- Controls and safety
- Selection checklist
- Engineering FAQ
- Next step
- Related reading
- Sources
What the video shows
A long, flat stack of light timber boards sits on the red roller conveyor of our line. The red ring comes down around the stack and turns, laying clear stretch film over it in a spiral while the stack stays still. The wrapped stack then travels on along the rollers. Further down the line, a red overhead beam presses on the top of a board stack, and at the end a green strap holds the stack at its side.
The line, station by station
| Station | What it does |
|---|---|
| Film covering | Film covers the stack so no board face is left open |
| Orbital wrapping | The ring winds stretch film around the stack in a spiral |
| Conveying | Red powered rollers move the stack between stations |
| Pressing | An overhead beam presses the stack down and holds it square |
| Strapping | Straps tie the pressed stack for lifting and shipping |
The stack stays flat on the rollers the whole way, so long boards never have to be lifted or turned.
Why wrap and then strap
Straps put on over the film hold the film in place as well as the boards. The press beam squeezes the stack before strapping, so the straps go on tight and the stack does not loosen as the timber settles. Strap edges can cut into soft wood corners, so corner protectors are worth adding on a high-value finish.
Film per bundle
The film used per bundle follows from the stack size, film width and overlap. Illustrative example for a stack of 2,440 mm boards, 1,220 mm wide and 600 mm high, with 500 mm film at 50% overlap:
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Stack perimeter, 2 × (1,220 + 600) | 3,640 mm |
| Advance per ring turn, 500 × 0.5 | 250 mm |
| Ring turns over 2,440 mm | about 10 |
| Film per bundle, 10 × 3.64 m | about 36 m |
At 70% overlap the advance drops to 150 mm, the turns rise to about 16 and the film to about 59 m. These are lengths of film laid on the stack. Film stretched before it goes on comes off a shorter length of roll, and any extra wraps at the ends of the stack add to it. Choose the overlap on how much weather protection the timber needs in transit.
What we size per project
| Item | Set by |
|---|---|
| Ring size | Width and height of the largest stack |
| Conveyor length | Longest board |
| Press beam travel | Tallest stack |
| Strap positions | Board length and stack height |
| Film | Stretch film, paper or woven, by protection needed |
We leave machine speeds out here because they depend on your board range.
Controls and safety
A control box beside the wrapper carries a green running light. Keep clear of the ring while it turns and of the press beam while it lowers.
The standards that apply depend on the destination market. For CE markets, ISO 12100 sets the risk-assessment method and EN 415-10 sets general requirements for packaging machines.
Selection checklist for a timber packing line
- Board length, smallest to largest.
- Stack width and height.
- Stack weight.
- Film cover only, or film plus straps.
- Strap material and number of straps.
- Stacks per hour.
Engineering FAQ
Q: Does the timber stack turn during wrapping? A: No. The ring turns around the stack while it stays still on the rollers.
Q: How much film does one bundle use? A: About 36 m in our example: a 2,440 × 1,220 × 600 mm stack with 500 mm film at 50% overlap.
Q: Why press the stack before strapping? A: Pressing squeezes the stack tight, so the straps stay tight as the timber settles.
Q: What wrapping materials can the orbital ring use? A: Our orbital range takes PE film, stretch film, knit belt and VCI paper.
Q: How is the line sized? A: By your largest stack: width and height set the ring, and board length sets the conveyor.
Next step
We plan your timber packing line in three steps:
- Submit your layout drawing with board sizes, stack sizes and output to info@fhopepack.com.
- Receive a proposal within 48 hours, with the station layout.
- Book a site survey to check the floor space and stack handling.
Related reading
- Horizontal orbital wrapper for timber and wooden products
- Horizontal orbital stretch wrapper
- Video: orbital wrapper for carton box bundles
Sources
- Line content, film covering, wrapping and strapping: FHOPE engineering team, 2026-10-04
- Wrapping materials: horizontal orbital stretch wrapper page
- Machine in action: our timber wrapping and strapping video on YouTube
- Film example: our worked example, illustrative values
- Standards scope: ISO 12100:2010, EN 415-10:2014
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04
